If Shaq wants to go after a former teammate, Game 5 against Boston produced a pretty good target. Next up in the “Shaq Vs.” series: Shaq vs. his insecurities.
Older and wiser Shaquille O'Neal, left, well, older anyway, felt the need to badmouth his former Cavs teammate Mo Williams.Next up in the “Shaq Vs.” series:
Shaq vs. his insecurities.
The guy who profanely rapped against Kobe, played the RuPaul card on Chris Bosh, called Stan Van Gundy the “master of panic,” grabbed his Superman cape and went home when Dwight Howard tried it on, the guy who calls his career “illustrious” in case you couldn’t find the right word for it, is at it again.
In a recent interview with the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Shaq speaks about his decision to join the Boston Celtics for the veteran minimum. He could say he’s looking for one last title and be done with it.
That’s not Shaq. He would rather trash Mo Williams and talk about the suitors he turned down.
In joining Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and “Big Baby” Davis, Bigger Baby wants you to know he could have made more money elsewhere.
“I could have gotten $8 million from Atlanta and Detroit, but it wasn’t about that,” O’Neal told the newspaper. “It was about being somewhere and being seen and winning.”
Based on that criteria, Atlanta and Detroit are apparently nowheresville.
Of course, LeBron James made Cleveland a be-seen NBA destination but Shaq’s brief and respectable stay here didn’t pass without somebody getting slimed.
O’Neal told the Times-Picayune the Celtics’ unselfish play — versus what he saw in Cleveland — sold him on Boston.
“I like that they play together and nobody really worries about shots,” O’Neal said. “When I was with Cleveland, guys who couldn’t even play were worried about shots. Why was Mo taking 15 shots, and I’m only taking four?
“If LeBron takes 20 shots, that’s cool. So I said, ‘Let me get with a good team for the last two years.’ I don’t mind people calling me a journeyman. I’ve been programmed to move around every three years.”
When Shaq talks, people listen.
After all, it’s not as if Shaq is over the hill and still counting his shots.
Wait. Sorry. He is and he just did.
Spinoffs
I don’t want to say 2009 second-round pick David Veikune was a horrendous miss for the Browns, but to balance the scales, Brian Robiskie or Mohamed Massaquoi is going to have to go to the Pro Bowl some season. Soon.
• Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says he won’t guarantee Ben Roethlisberger he will get his job back from starter Dennis Dixon after his four-game suspension. If you say so, coach. I say your 1-3 start will take care of that decision.
• Bengals receivers Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens will do a chatty radio show together at least until Week 2 when the rift over receiving yards leads them to speak to each other on-air only through a mediator.
• Good luck to Boise State. But trying to win a national title from a non-power college football conference is like rushing the Omega frat in “Animal House” and being shooed away to sit with Jugdish, Mohammed, Sidney and Clayton.
He said it
“I like being the underdog. I want people to come in and take us lightly. — Browns All-Pro return man Josh Cribbs earlier in training camp.
Then he has come to the right place.
He said what?
“I hate to say it as an American, but it looks like the Russians were right. The American team was not cheated.” — Russian coach Dave Blatt, on the controversial U.S. loss to the Soviet Union at the Summer Olympics in Munich that resulted in the Americans refusing to accept their silver medals.
Blatt did not say whether he believes in all Russian fairy tales or just this one.
You said it
“Bud: Given the new Muni Lot hours, will the halftime of cornhole be eliminated? — Jerry B
For the opener, halftime cornhole is currently on the bubble along with the book club discussion on Tim Gunn’s “Life’s Little Lessons for Making it Work” and the usual Reiki workshops.
• “Bud: Story of Jim Brown in 10 words (more or less): Run. Stun. Score. Actor. Adviser. Rehabilitator. Circle. Adulation? Scuttled. (Fans: befuddled)” — Jim D.
Why do I get the feeling your wife would like you to open up more?
• “Dear Bud: Do you think Reggie Bush’s stripped Heisman Trophy will fit in better with Kim Kardashian’s decor?” — Michael Sarro
I believe they have split again. Sources tell me she has sworn off NFL players and, like most rich and beautiful women, is hoping to meet a “You said it” e-mailer.
• “Is it true that Virginia Tech player Tyrod Taylor has a twin brother named Balljoint?” — Geoff, Shaker Heights
The preferred spelling is “Balljoynt.”
• “Hey, Bud: Iron Mike Tyson said his biggest regret was he never got to smoke weed with Tupac. Will LeBron’s biggest regret be deciding not to play for his friend Jay-Z, or never meeting Tupac? — Bob
It’s difficult to speak for someone else. But I think his biggest regret will be the time he passed a mirror without looking at himself.
• “Bud: With the way things seem to go with Cleveland sports, will Jim Brown soon become a greeter for the Miami Dolphins?” — Chas Kikel
First-time “You said it” winners receive a T-shirt from the mental_floss collection.
• “Bud: The Big Ten is expanding to 12 teams but keeping the [name] Big Ten. The Big Ten is putting its top two rivals — Ohio State and Michigan — in different divisions. The Big Ten is letting Nike change OSU’s helmet to ‘Red’ for their biggest game. The question is, when did Bud Selig and Isiah Thomas become consultants to the Big Ten? — The Albatross
Repeat winners receive a transcript of the news conference in which a Florida International University representative introduced the school’s new basketball coach as “Isiah Thompson.”
To reach Bud Shaw: bshaw@plaind.com, 216-999-5639